Part 3.3 - The “Second Devikota” at Pha-bong-kha

[Full title: The Caritra/Devikota Complex and the Further Development of a Tibetan Tantric Geography (3) The 'Second Devikota' at Pha-bong-kha]

Considering all the Tibetan claims we have cited so far it might appear that the bKa'brgyud-pa schools were the only major lineage tradition to engage in relocating and duplicating the pitha sites in Tibet. While this perhaps reflects the situation up to the time of Padma dKarpo, from then on the dGe-lugs-pa school, and later the Ris-med movement, were instrumental in establishing other Devikotas and Caritras in Tibet. Right from the beginning of its formation the 'reformed' dGelugs-pa order and its members took up the study and practice of the cult of Samvara Tantrism with zeal. Great practitioners of that school, such as Tsong-kha-pa (1357-1419) himself and the 1 st Pan-chen Blo bzang Chos-kyi rGyal-mtshan (1567-1662) performed pilgrimages to Tsa-ri and TiSee Padma-dkar-po (1973 b), f. la. 63 In this context we should note the propensity of 'Brug-pa Lamas of the period for such activities. A disciple of Padma dKar-po's, a certain 'Bla-ma bKra-shi-dbang', was responsible for 'opening' the Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage to the 'false' Kusinagara at the hajo temple near Gauhati in Assam to the south of Tsa-ri, see Aris (1986: 71-3, 77); Aris (1979: 112-14). This site was later assimilated to the Devikota at Pha-bongkha, on which see n. 73 below. 64 See mKhyen-brtse dBang-po's comments in Ferrari (1958: 57).

· 150/Kailash Se"65 in order to practice the Samvara meditations and rituals there, and in their wake various other 'dGe-lugs Siddhas' followed suit". 66 In their devotion to the performance of Samvara tantrism certain dGe-lugs-pa Lamas established the so-called 'second Devikota' (de-diko-ta gnyis-pa) 67 at the site of the ancient holy place of Pha-bong-kha near Se-ra monastery on the out-skirts of Lhasa city. The earliest reference to Pha-bong-kha being claimed as Devikota is found in the 5 th Dalai Lama's Bod kyi deb ther, written in 1643.68 The guide-book for the 'second Devikota', probably written sometime during the 19 th century"69 was composed by a little-known dGe-lugs-pa scholar associated with the rGyud-stod college in Lhasa and with Se-ra-smad. In setting out his claims this author uses what seems to have developed into a 'formula' for establishing Tibetan sites as Tantric pitha. Firstly he invokes exactly the same passages from the VDT as used previously by Padma dKar-po to demonstrate that Tibet, and more specifically Pha-bong-kha, are the places of the vajra-kaya mentioned in the Tantras 70 As well as giving a brief account of the narrative of the submission of Rudra/Mahesvara, he employs citations from Tsong-khapa and 'Jam-dbyangs bZhad-pa (1648-1721) amongst others, all of which are intended to demonstrate that," 71 This very Pha-bong-kha is the Devikota from amongst the four [Tantric] upapitha because it was unanimously accepted [as such] by all those accomplished in wisdom who went there previously. Because it is established [as such] by way of those proofs above it is established as a place possessing empowerments. In much the same way as the 'Bri-gung gDan-rabs claims about Ti-se use the 'scriptural authority' of the statements of great past masters of the bKa'-brgyud-pa, so too does this author place great emphasis throughout his text on the statements of the saints and 65 On Tsong-kha-pa at Tsa-ri see Kaschwwsky (1971: 131); and on the 1 st Panchen at Ti-se see Petech (1976: 322). 66 67 See for example Filibeck (1988 a: 96); and Willis (1985: 314-18). See for example Ferrari (1958: 42) 68 See Roerich (1979: 79, n.2). 69 See dByangs-can dGyes-pa'i-blo-gros (nd.). This approximate dating is likely since the author cites the Rwaa-sgreng sprul-sku Blo-bzang Ye-shes bsTan-pa Rab-rgyas on f. 32 a. Also, we find an author by this name who was the biographer of dByangs-can Grub-pa'i rDo-rje (1809- 1887), the nephew of dNgul-chu Dharmabhadra (1772-1851). 70 See dByangs-can dGyes-pa'i blo-gros (n.d.), ff. 9 a, 4-10 a, 1. noting that there is some confusion about the arrangement and attribution of the verses here. 71 Ibid, f. 11 a, 4.

Where Exactly/151 scholars of his own sect to establish the validity of his claims. By the 18 th-19 th century the pitha. traditions had already gained enough 'momentum' in dGe-lugs circles for appropriate spiritual authority regarding them to have been generated. What seems important here is not just whether this is the 'true' location, but that it is possible to attain the proper benefits of pilgrimage and practice at Tibetan Samvara sites as other Worthy Ones have claimed to have done in the past. Later in the work, in a further claim the author's words reveal an aspect of the relocating of Indian meditation sites that practitioners of his day were conscious of, that is, that famous sites like Devikota did exist in India, but this fact did not diminish the sanctity and the potency as places of practice of those claimed to exist in Tibet 72: [With regard] to this [place] which is established as the pitha of the two eyes when we relate it internally to the nadi ('spokes) of the body cakra of the Samvara [mandala], even though there clearly exists a mahapitha known as such in India as well, that does not mean that this [place] is not a place for practice, or is unfit to be Devikota. [And] not only that, it need hardly be said that as regards Tibet itself it is certainly the case that this place has been repeatedly established through teachings by the many Wise Ones who performed meditation at that mahapitha. The Pha-bong-kha Devikota has remained a well-known Cakrasamvara pitha for Tibetans up to the present day. 73 It is perhaps because of its already established sanctity as an 'equivalent' East Indian holy place that it also became one of the sites in Tibet to which the 'false' Kusinagara in Assam was assimilated by Tibetans.